Latest news with #DMCA
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Influencer drops lawsuit alleging rival creator copied her videos
Influencer Sydney Nicole Gifford said in a TikTok video on Thursday that she has withdrawn her lawsuit against fellow content creator Alyssa Sheil, ending a case that had become closely watched over its possible ramifications for the broader internet content ecosystem. The move comes more than a year after Gifford first sued Sheil, claiming that Sheil had not just stolen the look and style of her videos but sometimes copied them down to the shot. 'She would change her hair soon after I changed mine and even got a similar tattoo after I posted mine, so in mirror photos where our faces were covered, it all of a sudden looked even more similar to me with that tattoo,' Gifford said in her TikTok video. 'I believe her intention was to look so similar to me and copy my posts so similarly so she could profit off my business.' She also clarified her intention was not to sue simply over aesthetics, but rather over alleged 'copyright infringement, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violation, trade dress infringement, misappropriation, and vicarious copyright infringement.' Arguments between influencers copying or stealing content from each other typically play out in the digital court of public opinion and rarely, if ever, make it to the actual judicial system. Aesthetics on social media are recycled and reinterpreted so often that it's nearly impossible to lay claim to owning a look or style online. Gifford's lawsuit sought to take the issue into the courtroom, attempting to apply laws typically used by traditional media to the relatively lax world of influencer content. The look at the heart of the now-dismissed suit is a minimalist, polished style that is sometimes referred to as the 'clean girl' aesthetic. Gifford, whose videos touch on everything from being a mother to fashion and shopping, has amassed more than 956,000 followers between her Instagram and TikTok accounts. Sheil, who posts similar content, has more than 162,000 followers across her Instagram and TikTok. Gifford said she sent many requests for Sheil to stop — from emails to cease-and-desist letters — before suing Sheil in April 2024. Shahmeer Halepota, an attorney for Sheil, said Gifford walked away from the case with no settlement or financial compensation. 'Ms. Gifford's surrender and settlement for $0 confirms that her allegations were meritless and her claims of inventorship were worthless,' Halepota said. Thomas Frashier, another attorney for Sheil, said his client has set a 'major precedent' for influencers and social media personalities. 'This is a huge win for content creators everywhere who shouldn't have to fear about being bullied out of the industry by the threat of meritless lawsuits like this one,' he said. However, Gifford's attorney Kirsten Kumar said her client's case was not without merit, but that she simply didn't have the bandwidth to continue with the litigation. 'I have been working with Sydney since nearly the beginning of this case,' Kumar said. 'I know how strongly she feels about her claims and that the decision to stop litigating is not a reflection of their merit. But priorities can change: Since filing suit, she has gotten married, welcomed her first child and moved out of state.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Influencer drops lawsuit alleging rival creator copied her videos
Influencer Sydney Nicole Gifford said in a TikTok video on Thursday that she has withdrawn her lawsuit against fellow content creator Alyssa Sheil, ending a case that had become closely watched over its possible ramifications for the broader internet content ecosystem. The move comes more than a year after Gifford first sued Sheil, claiming that Sheil had not just stolen the look and style of her videos but sometimes copied them down to the shot. 'She would change her hair soon after I changed mine and even got a similar tattoo after I posted mine, so in mirror photos where our faces were covered, it all of a sudden looked even more similar to me with that tattoo,' Gifford said in her TikTok video. 'I believe her intention was to look so similar to me and copy my posts so similarly so she could profit off my business.' She also clarified her intention was not to sue simply over aesthetics, but rather over alleged 'copyright infringement, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violation, trade dress infringement, misappropriation, and vicarious copyright infringement.' Arguments between influencers copying or stealing content from each other typically play out in the digital court of public opinion and rarely, if ever, make it to the actual judicial system. Aesthetics on social media are recycled and reinterpreted so often that it's nearly impossible to lay claim to owning a look or style online. Gifford's lawsuit sought to take the issue into the courtroom, attempting to apply laws typically used by traditional media to the relatively lax world of influencer content. The look at the heart of the now-dismissed suit is a minimalist, polished style that is sometimes referred to as the 'clean girl' aesthetic. Gifford, whose videos touch on everything from being a mother to fashion and shopping, has amassed more than 956,000 followers between her Instagram and TikTok accounts. Sheil, who posts similar content, has more than 162,000 followers across her Instagram and TikTok. Gifford said she sent many requests for Sheil to stop — from emails to cease-and-desist letters — before suing Sheil in April 2024. Shahmeer Halepota, an attorney for Sheil, said Gifford walked away from the case with no settlement or financial compensation. 'Ms. Gifford's surrender and settlement for $0 confirms that her allegations were meritless and her claims of inventorship were worthless,' Halepota said. Thomas Frashier, another attorney for Sheil, said his client has set a 'major precedent' for influencers and social media personalities. 'This is a huge win for content creators everywhere who shouldn't have to fear about being bullied out of the industry by the threat of meritless lawsuits like this one,' he said. However, Gifford's attorney Kirsten Kumar said her client's case was not without merit, but that she simply didn't have the bandwidth to continue with the litigation. 'I have been working with Sydney since nearly the beginning of this case,' Kumar said. 'I know how strongly she feels about her claims and that the decision to stop litigating is not a reflection of their merit. But priorities can change: Since filing suit, she has gotten married, welcomed her first child and moved out of state.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
IBCAP releases 2025 Annual Report highlighting growth, legal wins and technology innovation
IBCAP Lab automation, membership expansion, notable lawsuits and sports rights protection victories underscore a year of progress in the Coalition's fight against piracy DENVER, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP) has released its 2025 Annual Report, touting the key advancements driven by IBCAP over the past year in addressing piracy worldwide. 'Since our last member meeting in May 2024, IBCAP has expanded its reach by developing proprietary automation software to detect and remove VOD content from pirate IPTV services and set-top boxes – a tool that greatly enhances our ability to remove pirated movies and series,' said Chris Kuelling, executive director of IBCAP. 'We also added DIRECTV, NHK and RAI as new members, bringing a major U.S. distributor, and the leading broadcasters from Japan and Italy to our growing coalition. In addition, our teams made major strides enhancing sports piracy enforcement and continuing to hold non-compliant service providers and hosting providers accountable through targeted legal action.' Report highlights include: Industry-Leading Advancements in Automation: IBCAP's engineering team has advanced its industry-leading tools to automate monitoring of STB and IPTV services and issue takedown notices. The latest development, a VOD-focused tool, automatically detects infringing content, captures evidence of U.S.-based violations and sends DMCA takedown notices to infringing services, CDNs and hosting companies, leading to the global removal of illegal streams. Looking ahead, IBCAP plans to offer this cutting-edge automation technology to non-members and other organizations to expand its impact across the industry and globally. Membership Expansion: New members, DIRECTV, NHK and RAI extend IBCAP's protection to focus on mainstream American content and the Japanese and Italian-language markets. Litigation against CDNs and Hosting Providers: IBCAP coordinated significant legal actions against hosting providers Virtual Systems and Innetra. These complaints followed a $3 million settlement with Datacamp Limited, which has led to increased compliance with IBCAP takedown notices and a measurable rise in pirate stream removal rates. Sports Piracy Enforcement: IBCAP continues to have an industry-leading deterrent and takedown effect on cricket piracy. During the IPL 2024 tournament, IBCAP disrupted 6,723 streams and more than 2.1 million views on Facebook Live streams worldwide. During the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup tournament, the IBCAP lab removed 3783 streams and disrupted more than 1 million views on Facebook Live streams worldwide. Action Against Major Pirate Services: IBCAP coordinated the filing of a lawsuit in April 2025 against Lemo TV and Kemo IPTV. Related pirate services accounted for nearly 30% of all unauthorized streams detected on STB and IPTV services monitored by the IBCAP lab in the first quarter of 2025. The lawsuit seeks more than $25 million in statutory damages and a broad injunction to shut down this service. The IBCAP 2025 Annual Report can be found here. For more information about IBCAP membership, visit About IBCAP International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy, Inc. (IBCAP) is a coalition of leading international and U.S. content owners, broadcasters, and distributors representing more than 220 television channels from the U.S. and around the world. As the largest anti-piracy organization focused on illicit services offering multicultural content, the nonprofit organization proactively monitors and identifies unauthorized video services, collects evidence, and assists with legal actions and criminal investigations against organizations and individuals engaging in pirate activities. IBCAP coordinates with government agencies and law enforcement both in the U.S. and abroad, reports suspected infringers to the appropriate authorities, initiates investigations, and promotes the prosecution of persons or companies that participate in the illegal distribution of its members' video content. More information is available at Follow us on LinkedIn. Contact: Kendra WesterkampC4Spark for IBCAPKendra@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Is Mangadex shutting down? Popular Manga Scan site kills ‘700 Titles' after massive DMCA notices
MangaDex, popular manga scanlation website, was compelled to delete 'approximately 7,000 titles' in select languages after a series of DMCA takedown demands last week. It has now addressed a number of community concerns, including the handling of takedown pleas and the procedure for contesting a takedown request on MangaDex. Numerous Japanese production companies and publishers have attempted to curb the illicit circulation of manga and anime in recent years. For instance, Shueisha has taken numerous steps to prevent leaks and piracy of its well-known manga magazine, Shonen Jump (One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen). Many firms have joined forces to shut down prominent websites in an effort to fight piracy. In Japan, this effort is linked to the founding of CODA. However, just shutting down websites is not a simple solution to the problem of piracy. Governments and numerous associations have been collaborating to prosecute pirates. Also Read: 'Demonic' Annabelle continues to scare locals: Strange noises, pet behavior changes, fire at Marie Laveau's house MangaDex confirmed it will not be shutting down, stressing that it will keep enhancing the site's functionality, and will not turn into Crunchyroll. This highlighted how Crunchyroll started out as a pirate website before taking down the majority of its titles and obtaining a legal license. MangaDex also described how it has partnered with NamiComi, a rapidly expanding platform for manga and comics submissions, which "accepted to take management of the site and its domain; no transaction was performed." MangaDex explained that its core team was small, which contributed to the delay in the release of this FAQ. 'The recent shutdown of various aggregators has driven an accelerated growth of MangaDex. While we have historically received low volumes of takedown requests, that number has increased to such a degree that we can no longer handle it ourselves. NamiComi has the necessary legal framework to move forward and ensure the long-term sustainability of MangaDex,' it said, as per Anime Corner. According to Similarweb, MangaDex received 68.8 million monthly visitors in April, a 31% increase over the 52.6 million visits in February. Additionally, MangaDex described the recent regulation modifications it made to combat 'excessive profiteering.' Notably, Reaper Scans, a well-known webtoon and web book website, recently shut down after receiving a cease and desist notice from Kakao Entertainment. Reaper Scans was chastised for paywalling content that was illegal.
Tom's Guide
19-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
This new Defendnot trojan can get Windows to disable its own antivirus software
A researcher referred to as es3n1n has developed a tool called Defendnot that is capable of tricking a Windows computer into disabling Microsoft Defender, leaving the device completely unprotected against malware. By registering a fake antivirus product, Defendnot convinces Microsoft to turn off its built-in antivirus software to keep any conflicts from happening between the two security programs. As reported by Bleeping Computer, Defendnot can do this even when there is no actual antivirus software installed on the machine by using an undocumented API in the Windows Security Center (WSC) – the same one used by legitimate antivirus software – to inform Windows that it's properly installed and handling the real-time protection for the system. Then, after a few weeks after the release, the project blew up quite a bit and gained ~1.5k stars, after that the developers of the antivirus I was using filed a DMCA takedown request and I didn't really want to do anything with that so just erased everything and called it a day. Once the registration step is complete, Defender will immediately shut itself off to prevent any issues, leaving the computer without active antivirus protection. The Defendnot tool also includes a loader that passes configuration data through a file, allowing users to set the name of the fake antivirus software to anything they like. Defendnot will create an autorun through the Task Schedule, so it starts when you log in to Windows. It's based on a previous project, the researcher called 'no-defender,' which laid the groundwork by using code from third-party antivirus software to spoof Windows Security Center registration. However, the vendor of that software filed a DMCA takedown request, which resulted in it being pulled from GitHub. Defendnot, on the other hand, learned from this and built the anti-virus functionality from scratch through a dummy DLL, which causes no copyright infringement. It injects a DLL into a Microsoft system process, which is signed and already trusted. Within this process, it can register the dummy antivirus with any spoofed display name. Though it is a research project, Defendnot demonstrates how easy it can be to turn trusted system features into security issues; currently, Microsoft Defender is detecting and quarantining Defendnot as a trojan based on its own machine learning algorithm. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Because Defendnot is a research project — and has already been quarantined by Defender — it is not putting any particular systems at risk currently. There are also no details about how Defendnot may operate on a computer that is running a third-party antivirus software in addition to Windows Defender. That being said, users who want the best level of protection for their Windows PCs should always use one of the best antivirus software programs and the built-in protection provided by Windows Defender. These security suites usually provide excellent malware protection and added features like parental controls, a VPN, and a password manager that can help keep you safe while online.
